Exercise. Hip hip hooray.

Saturday night, feeling a little angsty, I ran to the temple. Well, since it's uphill two miles, I ran/walked most of the way. Then I sat at the temple for about 45 minutes until I was freezing and then decided to run home. Crossing the street at the MTC I ran into one of my favorite people at EFY this summer--Erin, one of our health counselors. I talked to her for a little bit, and what she said made me feel a lot better! (although, being alone at the back side of the temple did most of the work). Anyway, I decided that since it was downhill, I would see how far I could go.

I ran the whole way home!! So awesome. I was sort of shaking by the time I got home, but it was really good for me--I've never ran that far before! I was always more of a sprinter and less long distance, but I just told myself I had made a goal to run home and I WOULD. Also, I figured it sounded much more impressive to tell my roommates I ran the WHOLE way home rather than "most" of the way.

Yesterday, I signed up for a gym membership--it's month to month and not very expensive, but since I paid for it, I'm definitely going to go a lot. Kailey and I are workout buddies now. We went to the gym yesterday and biked for just a half hour, but it was still pretty exhausting (especially when the bike seats are UNCOMFORTABLE!! For a little bit, I was like, "Wow, I really can't go any further" but I just told myself, "Just go five minutes past that feeling". After the five minutes, the deathly feeling was gone, I was just tired but could keep going.

Also, just a little something. I hardly ever sweat. Like, sweat rolling down my face sweat. It's a gift, I know, but last night (probably also because we were indoors), man, did I sweat!! It was a great feeling until we stepped outside and it immediately all froze on my back! I spent the car ride home sitting stick straight upwards.

A couple of my roommates are doing this "No Sugar" thing. I was talking to Kailey about it yesterday, and we talked about how that really is pretty ineffective as a weight loss plan. You go off sugar for a bit, lose some weight, then start eating sugar again and just put it back on. I like to eat healthily, but I also like to eat what I want. So, I've always preferred exercising to dieting. As a permanent, life-style change, exercise can have much more long-lasting effects and I know that it also really affects you emotionally and mentally. When I exercise, not only do I feel better physically and less desire to eat junk food, I can release any stress or anger I'm feeling in a pretty cathartic way, my mind functions much more clearly in other things that I do, and I sleep better at night when I exercise.

Also, I saw one of my "No Sugar" roommates eating a candy bar today. Yes, I saw you >:) I was always pretty happy with my physicality and weight when I played soccer because not only was I exercising in a way that I enjoyed, but my mom was feeding me healthy things :) It's a lot harder to get those kinds of meals now, but I know that constant exercise is a good head start. I'm pretty excited for this gym membership, I just hope that I can make the most out of it in the gym and out.

Oh, and for those of who with whom I spoke about my song on Sunday (I sang "Oh Lord, My Redeemer" at a musical fireside for our ward---I was pretty worried about being really nervous and not being able to sing). It was amazing!! It was the first time in my life that I wasn't that nervous while performing. When I went up I felt a few butterflies, but as soon as I started singing it went away. It was such an amazing experience, I felt like I could truly express myself and my feelings without worrying about how nervous I was. I even thought I was going to make it through the whole song without crying! False. I cried in the last chorus. But still. It was great. A lot of people came up to me and talked to me about it and it just felt soooo good to be able to share my talent in a way that brings people closer to Heavenly Father. It felt SO good to REALLY sing, as well. I hadn't done that for a really long time, and it was also kind of fun to really surprise a lot of my friends.

Anyway, thank you for your prayers, they were answered. It was a great experience and I'm hoping that the butterflies are gone for good.

Back....to homework. Writing a little information paper about "The Call" in relation to Toni Morrison's "Paradise", and Shakespeare today is "Romeo and Juliet". Should be interesting to hear my professor's thoughts on this, today, he always refers to Romeo and Juliet rather snidely. Then institute tonight, and then I'll finally be able to drop in at home at about 8:30 before more plans of a more social nature.

Also, I grabbed a bunch of snacks to put in my backpack this morning before I left for work. I was hoping they would last me a lot longer. I'm one cheesestick, and half my supplies of beef jerky and wheat thins down. It's okay though, I still have one apple, one banana, a cheesestick, and the rest of the wheat thins and jerky to hold me until 8:30.

I'll probably make it.

Scriptures and Music

I've always found reading my scriptures along to some kind of musical soundtrack to be a much more effective way to focus and personalize the scriptures. I can never read/do homework to anything with words, but instrumental music sure does wonders for fun scripture study!! I learned my freshman year of seminary that reading about 50 chapters of the Book of Mormon in one day can be WAY more exciting if you're reading the war chapters along to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Pretty intense. (Let me interject this post by saying that the kid kitty-corner across from me in the computer lab keeps looking around and around and around and it's driving me crazy. Keep your eyes to yourself, you're creeping everyone out!! Anyway.)

So lately, I've discovered some other music paired with my Doctrine and Covenants readings that I LOVE. Jon Schmidt's combination songs work really well for this. Love Story Meets Viva la Vida and (my favorite) Pachobel Meets U2 are basically my scripture soundtrack now. I love it. Usually scripture reading has been comforting and calming to me, but when I read these revelations combined with these absolutely beautiful piano arrangements, it is SO motivating! I want to change, to be completely better, and it gives me more direction. Yesterday I reread my patriarchal blessing while listening to Pachobel Meets U2, and it was so incredible, very enlightening. I'm sure that Heavenly Father meant for us to have a soundtrack in our lives, we just have to provide it ourselves!

I know that music has a lot to do with the mood that I'm in. Lately, being so stressed, I've been trying to listen to more uplifting music, specifically a lot of church music. John Denver helps keep the mood light, but I particularly like to listen to EFY music when I'm going to do something I don't want to (work, school, etc). When I arrive, I have such a better attitude.

Anyway, challenge yourself to listen to some wonderful, completely uplifting music! It can really change your mood and affect your attitude towards a lot of things, especially the beautiful world that Heavenly Father has created for us and the wonderful people that we are surrounded by!

Now that one of my favorite Keith Urban songs has come on the Pandora radio, I have to leave the library for class. But you can bet that I'll be listening to some "Stand in the Light" on my way there :)

Happy Halloween!!

Usually Halloween isn't really my thing. I don't spend forever planning ahead what I'm going to be. My freshman year, I had an awesome costume. Not the most attractive, but I was cool (first night: 60s rocker, second night: lumberjack). Last year, I didn't even go out on Halloween. Lame. This year, I was stressed out (I'm starting to believe I'm actually suffering from some kind of chronic stress disease) about Halloween, cause everyone was asking everybody what they were going to be...and I had nothing!! Finally, Thursday night, Sarah said, "I think I could see you as....a Greek goddess." BINGO! I loved it. Unfortunately, all I own that is remotely gold or Greek-like were my sandals. So now, after having borrowed lots of jewelry, makeup, etc, I also one full set of white twin sheets, a long string of gold, sparkly beads, and one pair of fake eyelashes poorer. But the outcome was spectacular (at least I thought so). For some silly reason I can't upload the pictures on here....I really don't know why. My blogging skills are going downhill.

I was super excited to post some pictures of Halloween and have something cool to put up, but now...well, at least I posted.

Halloween was lots of fun. My friend Kailey (in the pink sleeper with antennae) was a bed bug. My roommate Abby was Lady Gaga (don't ask) and my roommate Natalie was Miss America. Some of the other good friends that frequent the album are Jared (Maverick), Brandon (Nerd basketball player-the best part was how he acted the whole night....SO embarrassing at the beginning), Morgan (Lifeguard allergic to the sun), Michael (Crocodile Dundee...I'm guessing is how you spell it?), my summer roommates/neighbors/friends Genevieve and Rachel (Double Rainbow), Stefani (my fellow Grecian), Don (a Brazilian cowboy), oh and Bryce (the hick, hunter, whatever guy...who stepped on his fake teeth before we even left the house and so just looked like a hillbilly the whole night). Lots of fun friends (these are normally the people I hang out with...interesting crowd, huh? My roommate Sarah had a date so she couldn't come to the Stake Activity that we had Friday night. But we went sort of in the middle of the activity, right at the time of the dance. It was a bunch of fun, and my hair stayed curled for three days (I know, I know....shower shower shower). But there is a picture in Kailey's album on facebook just after she and Abby unpinned the curls...my hair was SO short and SO curly!!! It felt wonderful to have curly hair again! Here, it is just sort of wavy....SO sad.

Anyway, check out the album, I'm tagged in a few of them (it's Kailey's album) but once you click on one of my pictures you should be able to access the rest. Happy late Halloween!! On to November and huge term projects due before Thanksgiving!! (Although the bookstore exploded into Christmas today). Also, I've stopped biting my nails! (Pretty much!) The cuticles are still another question.....

Back to homework. King Lear, King Schmear.